MASUMI HirokiDepartment of Medicine Assistant Professor A in Medical School |
Erythritol is a low molecular sugar alcohol. Its use in the food and confectionery industry is increasing because of its low calorie content. Here, we present a patient who developed anaphylaxis after consuming candies that contained erythritol. Our patient was a 10-year-old girl. At "8" "9" years of age, she experienced three anaphylactic episodes after consuming ice cream ; however, the cause was unclear. At 10 years of age, she experienced pharyngeal pain, dry coughing, and urticarial after playing in the park and consuming candies. Therefore she consulted our emergency outpatient department. Erythritol and sorbitol are present in candies, and the possibility of an allergic reaction to these was suspected. Skin prick tests with erythritol and sorbitol were negative, and only erythritol was positive in an intradermal test. This necessitated a single-blind food oral challenge of sorbitol and erythritol. The test was negative for sorbitol. She was administered erythritol (1.7 g in total) ; 30 minutes later, she presented with skin, and respiratory symptoms as well as anaphylaxis. Erythritol was not found to cause a reaction in a basophil activation test performed later. Recently, reports of patients with erythritol allergy have been increasing. In children, frequent consumption of erythritol-containing candies needs attention. It was useful for intake instruction of the sugar alcohol in this case.